Starwood Bans Shark Fin at Hotels and Restaurants Worldwide

by Kerry Acker

on 04/09/14 at 11:24 AM

Starwood just announced that, by the end of 2014, none of its properties around the world will serve shark fin. Given that the high-end hotel chain has 263 hotels in Asia, where shark fin is considered a delicacy (and an aphrodisiac), this is a bold move indeed.

To obtain the fin, fishermen catch the sharks, slice off the fin, then toss the fish back into the ocean, where they obviously can't survive. It's a pretty horrible practice, and so we applaud Starwood for taking such a strong stand against it.

Says Frits van Paassche, Starwood president and CEO, "At Starwood, we believe economic growth and the well-being of society are inextricably tied to the health of the environment, including the health of the world's oceans and its inhabitants. Our worldwide ban on shark fin represents an important, environmentally responsible step to aid in the collective goal of marine preservation."